As you all know, we're at the 2006 Billboard Music Awards which air tonight on FOX and we're having a blast meeting lots of Fox TV talent and American Idol stars. We especially enjoyed getting some one-on-one time with Ace Young who was even cuter (and taller!) in person than he looks on TV and who has a ton going on right now.

He just came off the 60-show Idol tour and self-released his first single, "Scattered," which you can buy on iTunes. According to Ace, the song is "about a girl" but also tells the story of his unconventional rise to fame:

“It’s part of me. It’s a metaphor about my life in the music industry. I toured with Brian McKnight and New Edition, but I couldn't get a deal I was really really happy with. So I said, if I can’t get it through the office, I’m gonna get it through the people, and so I tried out for Idol."

Ace was really interesting and well spoken. He also has a new album in the works and a cool charity he's started. He had so much to say so if you want more Ace (you know you do), just read more

Right now Ace is working on the songs for his debut album with legendary songwriter Desmond Child, but he says he also likes to throw in a few covers "for the guys" since Idol didn't really show that side of him. "They didn't show that I was gonna play college football as a wide receiver or be a musician." Also, he's coming to play an acoustic set in SF in just a few days, so that means we'll get a double dose of Ace in one week!

What we really love about Ace though, is the very cool charitable foundation he started called High Rollers With Heart. For years Ace has worked with the Children's Hospital in Denver, so the charity is raising money to build a facility where families can stay when kids are undergoing treatment at the hospital. The goal is to raise $100,000 by year's end, and so far Ace says already they've raised $61 grand.